Wait times at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) remain long, but are improving.
That's according to data shared by CKHA, which shows the average emergency department stay is now 7.9 hours for people who aren't admitted. This is down from 8.5 hours in 2023/24.
The average time for a patient to have their first face-to-face evaluation by a doctor or nurse is 5.4 hours, a slight improvement from the 5.6 hours posted in 2023-24.
The CKHA explained that both averages are in the 90th percentile among Ontario hospitals.
People hoping to see a drastic drop in time spent at the emergency department will be disappointed, as the hospital noted there are several factors out of their control that extend each person's stay. This includes the number of people visiting at the same time and a lack of funding.
As for people who need to be admitted after visiting the emergency department, the wait is much longer. According to a study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), the average wait is around 24 hours.
This average has jumped from around 18.5 hours five years ago.
A big reason why the wait is so long is a lack of beds. The CKHA explained that 30 beds are being used by long-term care patients since there aren't enough spaces in facilities across Chatham-Kent.
